


Sleep

by dreadwyrmspawn



Series: The Earth Gets My Bones, You Get My Soul [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Don't look too closely at the science, F/M, First Kiss, Gentle Kissing, Insomnia, Reader-Insert, SCIENCE!, Tony Stark Needs Sleep, no animals were harmed in the writing of this story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25137775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreadwyrmspawn/pseuds/dreadwyrmspawn
Summary: The trials have begun on your sleep study and Tony is too ready to volunteer his brain.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Reader
Series: The Earth Gets My Bones, You Get My Soul [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819528
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Fall 2001

“No, absolutely not!” Your hands fly up as you back away from your workspace, leaving Tony perched at the end of it alone.

“Why not?” I mean you’re kind of working for me, in a way—”

“No,” You interrupt him, as usual never letting him spin himself off the hook, “technically I work for the university.” You busy yourself cleaning up spaces that don’t really need it.

“Paying for it, whatever,” He suddenly stops talking, the constant word vomit ceases and the room falls silent. You set down whatever files are in your hands, turning to really face Tony since he showed up in the lab.

His hair is displaced, soft curls sticking up in every direction. Dark circles weighted down his tired eyes. And then you notice it.  _ Is he wearing a goddamn tracksuit in my lab?! _

“Tony,” you start off quiet as you walk back toward him, “how long have you been awake?”

His brow furrows as he stares up at the fluorescent lights as the math filters through his brain before looking down at his watch.

“39 hours, give or take a few.” He strums his fingers against his leg, “I, I’m fine when I’m working; but, not when I’m out of the lab,  _ my _ lab…” He scratches at the back of his head before folding his arms across his chest. You’re close now and you can see the exhaustion echo in his eyes and something in your chest tightens.

“So, uh, give me something to do or EMP my brain,” Tony states as he waves the expensive electromagnet in the air wildly. Your whole body seizes at the sight.

“OK, OK,” you gently grasp the magnet and pull it from his hand to find its home on the desk.

“I’m not shooting theoretical science into a billion dollar brain,” you smile when that elicits a small chuckle from Tony. “Do you really want to help me set up the animal testing?”

“Not really,” Tony agrees as he begins to fiddle with the magnet again, “what are your test perimeters?”

_ It’s odd. _ You think,  _ Tony looks dogged tired, but hasn’t yawned once. _

“General baseline,” You say and then add, “on chimps,” to stop Tony from offering his brain up again. “Probably shouldn’t have named them, but generic numbering is so impersonal for a test subject with opposable thumbs.”

You take his rough hand in yours, leading him to the next room. Tony’s hands are strong, working hands. Last thing you would expect from a playboy billionaire.

“Meet Marley and Lou.”

“Look at that, absolutely adorable.” Tony says as he sticks his free hand in the cage. Lou comes over immediately to greet him. Lou bends Tony’s fingers back and forth and scratches at the palm. “Sorry, buddy. I don’t have any food.” His gaze shifts to where Marley is laying in her sling, dragging her knuckles across the cage floor, “and I feel you, sister.”

Tony’s thumb brushes absent-minded strokes against the back of your hand, surprising you.

“Are they both insomniacs? What even keeps a chimpanzee up at night?”

“Yes. Currently only Lou gets treatment. Marley must fall asleep under her own power,” you say as you take Tony’s other hand from Lou, “as far as what keeps her awake, I would say the same thing that keeps the great Tony Stark awake.”

Exhausted eyes stare down at you, dwarfing you under the dark circles. The corners of his mouth still tug into a smile, “the answer to life, the universe, and everything?”

You roll your eyes at the reference and shake your head, “Something like that. Creativity, anxiety, mental growth.”

“How does the EM correct chemical imbalances from anxiety?”

“It doesn’t. That’s not what this treatment is for. Any other mental health issues must still be taken care of with therapy and medicine.”

Tony nods, taking both his hands back. A chill rushes into them almost instantly, causing regret. He crosses his arms, sticking his hands close for warmth.

“So it just tells your brain to shut up and sleep?”

You frown at the loss of contact, “Instantly.” You turn to take Lou from the cage, moving him into the test area. “Humans do a lot of desperate things to both stay awake and to fall asleep,” you continue as you set Lou down on the mat, giving him a toy with treats inside to occupy himself with.

“How much caffeine have you consumed in the last 40 hours, Tony?” You ask as you turn back to find him leaning against the test room door frame, “How many ambien and benadryl last time the wakefulness became too much? Alcohol?”

Tony can feel the burn of shame as it creeps up his spine, making his head feel heavy. He ops to look down at the white tiles underfoot. You read him like a book.

“We’re killing our livers and our hearts, our kidneys and our stomachs. All because society is becoming always on, always plugged in.”

You leave Lou on the mat and walk over to Tony. Delicate fingers snake across his jaw, unkempt beard bristling against your skin. Tony’s eyes widen, forcing him to look up.

“Technology is astounding, but there is no way evolution of the human brain can keep up,” your thumb brushes over his chapped lips as they involuntarily part, a small puff of air escaping over your thumb. Tony feels anchored and heavy. Your brilliantly gentle soul pulling him in like you had a gravity all your own. Your innocent outlook of your research has cracked him open and he’s vulnerable. Exactly where his carefully built persona does not want to be.

He hates it.

But he’s so tired.

“If I can help, even the smallest amount, I will always try.”

You’re so close now, and Tony’s brain is flat lining. He is beyond exhausted and craving peace in his crumbling mind.

Your name ghosts over his lips and you look up at him. The terrible fluorescent lights bouncing off your eyes, shining on your determination. Every inch of you was flawless, both inside and out to Tony. You cared too much. Too fully. Too openly.

“I don’t even know if this is marketable. Lord knows it would never win against Big Pharma.” You’re rambling now, unaware of how easily Tony was coming undone under your touch. Tony is there, and close, and hanging on every word, “but the research needs to be done. If it’s out there, maybe someday it can help.”

Tony speaks up, your name puncturing the tangent to grab your attention. His hand cups the side of your face. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

“Wha—”

You can’t even get the thought out of your brain before his lips are on yours, kissing you with every last bit of energy he has left in his miserable soul. Your fingers scratch at his stubble, your other hand coming to rest on his chest.

Your lips part in moments, foreheads gently resting together. “I’m sorry, but did Tony Stark just kiss me?”

He lets out a small chuckle, stealing another chaste kiss. Your lips follow his, turning into a pout when denied more.

His thoughts are suddenly so quiet, heart rate normal and the tired jitters gone. He all at once feels like he could sleep for days.

“Do you have a bed I can crash on in this sleep lab?”

“Oh—” Red burns up your neck as you try, and fail to hide it, “yeah, well of course!” You step away and shake the thoughts from your head. You have a lot of work to do, and Tony was just tired. That’s all any of this was.

“Third door on your right should be a private suite.”

“Thanks, darling.” He flashes that playboy smirk that gets him in way too much trouble. His fist balls at his side and eyes narrow to focus on the hall as he moves down it.

He kicks off his trainers and flops down on the bed without pulling the sheets back. He closes his eyes and doesn't even have time to think about what just happened before he’s drifting off to sleep.

  
  
  



End file.
